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510300

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to the recent news that one in eight cases at Crown Court are not proceeded with by the Crown Prosecution Service, even though the defendants have been formally charged.
	tabling member printed	Lord Condon
	uin	HL7506
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2016 answer text <p>All cases are kept under constant review as they progress through the criminal justice system. If new evidence comes to light, a witness decides to no longer support a prosecution or a co-defendant pleads guilty to the offence, the CPS will then review the case. If there is no longer sufficient evidence or if it is no longer in the public interest, the CPS will stop a prosecution.</p><p>The Transforming Summary Justice (TSJ) and Better Case Management (BCM) initiatives, introduced nationally, are recent programmes which will have a material and positive impact on both levels and timing of discontinuance. These include earlier, pre-first magistrates’ hearing case review by prosecutors; an emphasis on early defence engagement; listing periods that support the time required to prepare the case; and improved processes to gather and serve evidential material and disclosure prior to court hearings.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 25/04/2016 15:44:17 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	2171 label Biography information for Lord Condon

434104

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2015
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Syria: Military Intervention
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Attorney General has approved the rules of engagement for the RAF bombing of Syria, and whether he will be consulted regularly to ensure that such military action is carried out in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
	tabling member printed	Lord Morris of Aberavon
	uin	HL4223
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2015 answer text <p>As the Prime Minister has repeatedly made clear, in carrying out any military action in Syria, the Government will at all times act in accordance with the law.</p><p>In line with the longstanding Law Officers’ Convention, reflected in both the Cabinet Manual and the Ministerial Code, I am unable to provide specific details as to the role of the Attorney General in this matter.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 14/12/2015 11:52:58 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	565 label Biography information for Lord Morris of Aberavon

450503

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the recommendation by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate in its <i>Thematic Review of the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units </i>that all lawyers working at Rape and Serious Sexual Offences units undergo refresher training is implemented.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
	uin	HL5865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2016 answer text <p>Ensuring that staff have the tools and skills necessary to prosecute effectively is a CPS priority. A detailed CPS/Police Joint National Rape Action Plan was published in June 2014 which identified a programme of training activity to deliver improvements in investigation and prosecution outcomes. This extensive programme, consisting of a range of face to face specialist training, is currently underway. The programme includes refresher training for all specialist prosecutors undertaking rape and serious sexual offence casework which will be delivered during 2016.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 16/02/2016 15:21:46 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

522929

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Nurses
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of engagement they have had with the private sector in pursuit of the £1.6 billion of illegal assets calculated by the National Audit Office to be subject to confiscation orders but which will evade recovery.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL480
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2016 answer text <p>In 2014 the Home Office established the Serious and Organised Crime Financial Sector Forum, an initiative to bring together Government, law enforcement agencies, regulators and the financial sector in a public-private partnership to tackle crime. Under its auspices, the National Crime Agency has trialled sharing data on uncollected confiscation orders with the banks, and leads the Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT), which brings together banks and law enforcement agencies to share information to tackle money laundering.</p><p> </p><p>Work is continuing with the Financial Sector Forum to explore effective ways of sharing data between private sector entities.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/06/2016 16:29:21 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

453537

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Mark Pearson
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 19 February (HL5998) regarding the case of Mark Pearson, who in the Crown Prosecution Service made the decision to present to the court a video that was run at half the normal speed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
	uin	HL6239
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2016 answer text <p>In the case concerned there was no video evidence. The police created a disc containing a series of still images with gaps of around a second in time. The timing of each image was clearly shown. The disc was served on the defence but was not played in court by the prosecution. The defence adduced their own disc as part of their case. The prosecution did not rely on the still images because at the trial the identification of the defendant was not in issue.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 04/03/2016 12:04:40 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

522928

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Prisoners' Release
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, in the light of the recent Panama papers scandal, of how many of the illegal assets subject to confiscation orders they will now be able to claim.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL479
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2016 answer text <p>On 10 April 2016 the Prime Minister announced a new cross-agency taskforce to obtain, analyse and take action on the information that has been made available from Mossack Fonseca and to take rapid action on any form of illegality that emerges.</p><p>A number of investigations are underway and the taskforce, which is accountable to the Home Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will report on its progress later this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 20/06/2016 16:28:53 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

387751

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2015
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Islamic State: Flags
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions there have been as a result of displaying the ISIL flag in the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL1128
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2015 answer text <p>Proscription is an important means of disrupting terrorist organisations in the UK. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also known as The Islamic State of Iraq al-Sham (ISIS) was proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK with effect from 20 June 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that a person commits an offence if he, in a public place, wears an item of clothing or wears, carries or displays article in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Flags would come within the definition of “article”. This is a summary only offence carrying a maximum of six months imprisonment or a fine.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To date there have been no prosecutions in England and Wales as a result of displaying a flag in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that the person displaying it is a member or supporter of ISIL. A black flag of the type associated with ISIL has featured in a number of prosecutions of individuals for more serious terrorist offences.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 17/07/2015 12:22:22 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

451132

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Mark Pearson
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Director of Public Prosecutions the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take Mark Pearson to trial for sexual assault, and the claim by the defence solicitor in that case that the CPS initially provided amended and misleading video evidence to the court.
	tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
	uin	HL5998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2016 answer text <p>The CPS's function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, as this can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, whether the public interest lies in prosecuting.</p><p> </p><p>It is open to the defence in any crown court case to argue, after the prosecution has closed its case, that the evidence is too weak for the decision to be left to the jury. In this particular case the judge clearly considered that the decision was properly a matter for the jury.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/02/2016 12:46:53 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

451762

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Slavery: Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in each of the past three years.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
	uin	HL6037
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2016 answer text <p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for the last three financial years:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>2014-15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) &amp; (3)}</p></td><td><p>Knowingly hold another person in slavery/solitude</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>28</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) &amp; (3)}</p></td><td><p>Knowingly require another person to perform forced/compulsory labour</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Note: A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/02/2016 12:48:02 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

451760

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2016
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions have been double flagged by the Crown Prosecution Service over the past three years using the flag for monitoring human trafficking, and the flag for monitoring child abuse.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
	uin	HL6035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2016 answer text <p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify both human trafficking and child abuse cases by way of a database monitoring flag applied to the electronic case record.</p><p>The number of defendants prosecuted for flagged human trafficking offences where the child abuse flag was also applied are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>2012-2013</p></td><td><p>2013-2014</p></td><td><p>2014-2015</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>19</p></td><td><p>59</p></td><td><p>24</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The figures provided represent the number of defendants prosecuted. Cases of trafficking for child exploitation (particularly child sexual exploitation) can involve networks of multi-defendants who have sexually exploited young female victims. Therefore, in the relatively low numbers of cases cross flagged, a small number of additional cases in one year involving upwards of 9 to 12 defendants each will have a significant effect on the annual figures. This, in part, explains the reduction in the number of defendants prosecuted for both human trafficking and child abuse; down from 59 in 2013/14 to 24 in 2014/15.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 19/02/2016 12:48:51 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey